HPV vaccine linked to sharp decline in precancerous lesions among young women
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A certified medical assistant holds needles full of the HPV vaccination drug Gardasil before administering them to children at a health center in Texas. Photo: Matthew Busch for The Washington Post via Getty Images
The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is having a huge impact on cervical cancer prevention among young women, a U.S. government report published Thursday suggests.
Why it matters: The CDC report shows that rates of precancerous lesions among women aged 20-24 screened for cervical cancer dropped by about 80% from 2008 to 2022. The report comes just days after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — who once called the HPV vaccine "dangerous and defective" — was confirmed as health and human services secretary.
- During questioning from senators ahead of his confirmation, Kennedy said he was divesting his financial interest in legal challenges against Gardasil, an HPV vaccine made by Merck.
By the numbers: Human papillomavirus is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the U.S. and the virus is responsible for some 10,800 cases of cervical cancer every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
State of play: The CDC report found drops in precancerous lesion rates in other age groups screened, falling 37% among women who were 25 to 29 years old for the same period.
- "Observed declines in cervical precancers are consistent with HPV vaccination impact and support Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendations to vaccinate children against HPV at age 11–12 years with catch-up through age 26 years," the CDC said.
- "The data are consistent with a considerable impact from the U.S. HPV vaccination program on cervical precancers, with the largest decreases in the youngest age group for which benefit of vaccination would first be observed," it added.
- "As vaccinated women age into older age groups, declines in cervical precancers are expected."
Zoom in: The CDC noted limitations, including that cervical cancer screening numbers were estimated using claims, survey data, and ecological trends rather than individual records.
- However, the CDC said "trend analyses such as these are routinely used to evaluate the impact of vaccination programs, and no other plausible explanations for the decreases in precancers have been identified."
The bottom line: The CDC findings add to growing global evidence that the uptake vaccine is helping to cut cases of cervical cancer.
- Cancer-prevention researcher Jane Montealegre told AP the rise in uptake of the safe, effective HPV vaccine can be credited for the substantial drop in precancerous lesions.
- "This should reassure parents that they're doing the right thing in getting their children vaccinated against HPV," added Montealegre, of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
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Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details from the report.
